Rose Elizabeth Dunn (September 5, 1878 – June 11, 1955) also known as Rose of Cimarron and later Rose of the Cimarron, was best known for her good looks and for her romantic involvement with

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

George "Bittercreek" Newcomb when she was a teenager during the closing years of the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

Early life

Rose Dunn was born near what is today Ingalls,

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

. Her family was poor, but she received a formal education at a convent in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

. Dunn's two older brothers became minor outlaws by the time she was 12. She learned to ride, rope and shoot from her brothers. Through them, she met and became involved romantically with

George Newcomb George "Bitter Creek" Newcomb (1866–May 2, 1895) was an American outlaw of the American Old West. He was first a member of the Dalton Gang, but after being called "too wild" by Bob Dalton, he and Bill Doolin started the Wild Bunch gang. Early ...

''circa'' 1893, when she was either 14 or 15 years of age.''Rose of the Cimarron partial bio''
RoseDunn

George "Bittercreek" Newcomb

Dunn reportedly met and became involved romantically with George "Bittercreek" Newcomb around 1893. The

gang A gang is a social group, group or secret society, society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over Wiktionary:territory#Noun, territory in a ...

that Newcomb ran with worshiped her due to her good looks and her calm and kind demeanor, and were fiercely defensive of her, spawning her loyalty to them. She was completely infatuated with Newcomb and began supporting Newcomb's outlaw life by venturing into town for supplies, as he was a wanted man and could not. Newcomb was then riding with the

Wild Bunch The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Terr ...

gang led by outlaw

Bill Doolin William Doolin (1858–August 24, 1896) was an American bandit outlaw and founder of the Wild Bunch, sometimes known as the Doolin-Dalton Gang. Like the earlier Dalton Gang alone, it specialized in robbing banks, trains, and stagecoaches in ...

. By this time her brothers had left the outlaw life and had become

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for a bail bondsman who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as a bail enforcement agent or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated ...

s, calling themselves the Dunn Brothers.

Gang involvement

On September 1, 1893, the

was cornered in Ingalls by a

posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

of US marshals, in what became known as the Battle of Ingalls, resulting in an intense shootout. A western legend has it that Newcomb was badly wounded, and while he lay in the street, Dunn is alleged to have run from the "Pierce Hotel" to him with two belts of ammunition and a

Winchester rifle Winchester rifle is a comprehensive term describing a series of lever action repeating rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters. Th ...

. She fired the rifle at the marshals while Newcomb reloaded his revolvers, and Newcomb was able to escape. However, that account has never been verified, and was never mentioned by the US Marshal official report, which indicated that Newcomb at best fired two shots then fled. Three deputy marshals were killed during the shootout. Newcomb and

Charley Pierce Charley Pierce (c. 1866 – May 2, 1895) was an American outlaw in the American Old West who rode with both the Dalton Gang and the Wild Bunch, Doolin Dalton Gang during the 1890s. He and George Newcomb, "Bittercreek" Newcomb were killed by frie ...

were wounded, but escaped. Gang member "Arkansas Tom" Jones was wounded and captured by Deputy Marshal Jim Masterson Together with Newcomb and other members of the gang, Dunn hid out for at least two months nursing the remaining gang members back to health. By 1895, Newcomb had a $5,000 bounty placed on him,

dead or alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...

. Newcomb and Pierce hid out near

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...

, both of them having been wounded in a gun battle with US marshals. On May 2, 1895, the Dunn Brothers shot and killed both Newcomb and Pierce as they dismounted in front of the Dunn house to visit Rose. The brothers collected the bounty, believed to have been $5,000 each.

Later life

After the killing of Newcomb, Dunn was often accused of having set him up, revealing to her brothers where the outlaws were hiding. She denied this, and her brothers later defended her, stating that she had no knowledge of their intentions, nor did she reveal the hideout to them. She was never prosecuted for her involvement with the gang. Her short outlaw life launched her to the level of western legend. In 1898, she married local politician Charles Albert Noble, and sometime after 1900 they left Oklahoma and all outlaw associations behind them. Charles Noble died in 1930, and she then married Richard Fleming (whom she had first met when she was 16). in 1946. Dunn died in 1955 at the age of 76 in Salkum, Washington.

In pop culture

The name "Rose of Cimarron" (not that of Rose Dunn) first came to popular attention with the publication of

Bill Tilghman William Matthew Tilghman Jr. (July 4, 1854 – November 1, 1924) was a career lawman, gunfighter, and politician in Kansas and Oklahoma during the late 19th century. Tilghman was a Dodge City city marshal in the early 1880s and played a role in ...

's booklet, ''Oklahoma Outlaws''. The Cimarron is a river that flows through much of Oklahoma. "Rose of Cimarron" is a song by country rock band Poco being the title cut of their 1976 album release Rose of Cimarron: written by founding member Rusty Young, the song featured lead vocals by Paul Cotton and Timothy B. Schmit. The song is about Dunn.

Notes

References

External links

Find a Grave
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Rose Outlaws of the American Old West People from Indian Territory Gunslingers of the American Old West 1878 births 1955 deaths